University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Louisville
Tar Heels Claim Series With Twin Bill Sweep
April 3, 2016 | Softball
CHAPEL HILL – Carolina softball put together 20 hits over a doubleheader against Louisville on Sunday, fighting through adversity to claim both games and capture the ACC series. UNC surrendered and early lead in the top of the sixth in game one, but a walk-off hit by freshman Berlynne Delamora propelled Carolina to a morning victory, 6-5. The Heels kept hammering in game two, coming out on top of a back-and-forth battle to defeat the Cardinals, 8-6, and win their second ACC series of the season. At the end of the weekend, UNC sits at 19-18 (5-7 ACC), while Louisville, who ranks No. 25 in the ESPN.com poll, drops to 24-8 (9-3 ACC).
“I'm really proud of all the girls, but I think Lauren Fuller really stood out to me today,” said head coach Donna J. Papa. “Going a full game and beating a team that's number 25 in the county and second in our conference. I thought she pitched really well and did a great job. Then to come in, in the situation that she came in in a late inning and get the fly ball. Kiana made a great play—catch the ball, throw the runner out at home. She made some plays when we really needed them.
“We got 14 hits in the second game. I thought we hit pretty well in the first game, too. I'm really proud of the fact that we didn't crumble at the end. A couple of weeks ago, we weren't able to pull those leads. This last couple of weeks, we've turned a corner in terms of how we're playing and making some plays. In the early innings today, we didn't make the plays that we should have but I feel like we gained a little bit of momentum from game one pulling it into game two.”
Delamora led Carolina at the plate, going 4-for-6 with a home run and four RBIs on the day, while Kendra Lynch went 4-for-7 with three extra bases hits and a win in the circle. Lauren Fuller captured her first career win and save in back-to-back games, while hitting .500 with four RBIs.
“They did a fantastic job hitting,” said Papa. “Berlynne was clutch for us. Kendra helped herself out for sure with her hitting. Same with Lauren. 3-for-4 with four RBIs—that's pretty impressive. This year is the first year where Lauren has really been significant in terms of her playing time both up at the plate and on the mound. I'm excited for her.
“Louisville is a great team,” said Fuller. “They're in the top 25 this week and second in the ACC, so that's huge for us. We knew we can do it. We just have to find a way to play like that everyday.”
The Tar Heels will be tested on the road this week with a trip to No. 10/9 Georgia on Wednesday, April 6. UNC upset then-No. 9 Georgia, 15-9, in its last regular-season trip to Athens on April 1 of last season. The midweek clash is set to air live on the SEC Network with a 7 p.m. first pitch.
